


Glass Puddles & Salty Air

by Sugar_and_Salt



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Mystery, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 07:04:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11308224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_and_Salt/pseuds/Sugar_and_Salt
Summary: Yifan is not a nosy person, he really isn't. But ever since Jongin had moved in next door, odd things were happening every day...





	Glass Puddles & Salty Air

**Author's Note:**

> I struggled quite a bit with this but I hope you like it! much love to HB, my wonderful beta <3

 

It all started when someone moved into the house next door. There was nothing inherently strange about that - in fact, Yifan wouldn't have noticed if not for Luhan, who was naturally nosy and noticed things quickly. The noteworthy thing about it was the fact that the new neighbour was young. Yifan and his roommates were considerably young, too, but that's why they had to share a house; who would be able to rent a whole house at such a young age?

He might be rich, Luhan had speculated, eagerly spying through the window in the hopes of catching a glimpse of him. Zitao had protested that young, rich and handsome guys only existed in Korean dramas, and sparked his own idea of him possibly being a celebrity. Yixing hadn't joined them, ever the laidback, private person he was, but even he admitted that it was a bit peculiar.

Yifan wasn't as nosy as his roommates. Whether this person was rich, a celebrity, or just a reclusive person wasn't any of his business. He wasn't overly keen on making friends with his neighbours, anyway.  


 

* * *

 

 

 

It started with Luhan.

Luhan, the quirky business administration student, whose heart really resided on the soccer field. He was a nice and extroverted person, not terribly intrusive, despite his curiosity, but amicable and generally liked. Which is why it came to no one's surprise that he approached their new neighbour first, just to introduce himself. Again, Yifan didn't ask any questions, but he didn't have to, because Luhan loudly proclaimed over dinner how nice this neighbour was, as he tried to stab some salad with his fork.

His name is Jongin, he'd said. It was the only information Yifan really picked up on, since it was followed by a speech about how handsome and gentle he was, and how he had invited him over for a cup of coffee. Of course Luhan was all for it - he was a coffee connoisseur and the mere mention of caffeine had him hooked. Yifan could only hope the stranger made good coffee.

 

Turned out, he apparently made the _best_ coffee.

He must have been a barista once, Luhan insisted, spilling all the information no one had asked for the following evening. But no, he claimed to be a confectioner, and apparently, his house was full of sweets that looked like someone had made magazine images come to life.

It sounded a bit too fantastical to Yifan, but Luhan was swooning and beyond help now.

A young, handsome confectioner. Yifan still wasn't intrigued enough to be nosy, but when he one day sat in his room, working on an essay, he heard his voice.

It was smooth, not overly high or low, and somehow it prompted him to get up and carefully look out of the window, enjoying the mild Spring breeze. He had a perfect view of the neighbouring front door, where someone was crouching on the floor, petting two cats. He could only see a mop of dark brown curls from where he was, but the voice carried clearly through the silent neighbourhood.

"Is it tough for you at the moment? Don't let the little kids be mean to you - it's alright to teach them a lesson if they go too far," the young man said, no, told them, all gentle assurance.

"Just because they can't understand you doesn't give them the right... yes, that's the spirit."

He cupped their tiny heads (Yifan was very tall himself, and chronically weak towards small, soft things), and as he praised them, a third cat showed up, crossing a corner to approach the man. Yifan had never seen more than one cat in his neighbourhood - and he'd never even once seen the tabby that was currently rolling at his feet. Not to mention that the way he was talking was a little different from the usual placating nonsense humans had to offer to animals. It sounded strangely specific.

As if he'd somehow felt his presence, the boy looked up and right at Yifan, whose first instinct was to jump away from the window in shock. He quickly returned to maybe save this situation a little, and offered a small smile and wave to Jongin, the confectioner. He looked youthful indeed, and a curious look morphed into a bright smile. He waved back until he was distracted by a fourth cat pacing around his legs.

Yifan sat back down at his desk, not giving into the temptation to peek again.

Very curious indeed.

 

Luhan had nothing but praise and adoration for Jongin, and while Yifan's curiosity was spiked, he'd never just... waltz over and ring his bell, just to say hello. That went completely against his nature. He had no real reason to seek him out, and he'd never introduced himself earlier, so purposefully approaching him for that was out of question now.

Yifan still couldn't help but gaze over at Jongin's residence. He only saw the side of the house from where he had made himself comfortable on the balcony, but that was probably for the better. He didn't want to look like a stalker. Originally, he had honestly intended to enjoy the mild spring weather - it reminded him of carefree afternoons he'd spent playing in his grandparent's garden - while he came up with a construct for another essay; as a linguistic student, Yifan had enough of those to write. Sometimes, he felt like he typed and penned down more words than some novelists.

With a sigh, he placed the pen down to stretch himself, cringing a bit at the cracking noise his neck made. The weather has been nothing but nice recently, and for some reason, Yifan was in a better mood than usual - it wasn't that he was an overly grumpy person in general but lately, everything seemed just a bit lighter and easier to stomach. Must be the blossoming trees and plants, as well as the color of the sky.

Before he knew it, his eyes were already seeking out Jongin's house again; his window, to be exact. He had curtains that looked almost a little too perfect, like they came right out of a fairytale. Definitely not like something a modern young man would buy. He saw glimpses of a kitchen but nothing seemed to scream confectioner, like Luhan had said. There was something else that caught his attention though - a lilac flower head lying on the counter right by the window. Had it flown inside somehow? Had someone forgotten it there? Yifan blinked, and there was another flower head, a second, smaller one. He hadn't seen it the first time, that was the logical explanation. But the longer he looked, the more lilac dots he saw on the counter, and really, he must have looked into the sun for too long-

A movement caught his eye and Yifan wanted to shrink and hide beneath the balcony's table when he realized Jongin was standing on his own porch and had caught Yifan staring like a creep yet again. And again, Jongin just smiled and waved. God, why did he have such bad luck. He told himself that this was a sign, that he should not repeat this mistake and just not look into this direction again. He packed up his things and retreated inside. He even tugged the curtains close, just because the sun was a little blinding, apparently.

Apparently.  


That evening, he heard even more tales of Jongin. It was as if there was no escape, as if the mysterious new neighbour was sneakily charming all his friends. Because this time it wasn't Luhan, but Yixing who brought him up.

"I met Jongin on the school campus today," he'd said as they both lounged around in their shared room. Yifan raised a brow at that. Jongin was a confectioner, right? How could he also be a student?

But Yixing wasn't perturbed in the least, and told him how Jongin had invited him to a little dinner party. It seemed a bit weird, that he'd specifically invite this neighbour he barely knew, and Yifan wondered whether Jongin was interested in his roommate. But Yixing seemed so delighted about the idea of meeting new people that he didn't have the heart to ruin this for him.

 

Yixing returned with an even brighter smile and a few new names on his lips. Above all, he had countless compliments for Jongin though, and Yifan felt a silent prick of jealousy he was hardly ready to admit to himself, much less to others. Still, childish jealousy aside, there was something weird about Jongin, something that was subtly off but hard to pinpoint - a little like a pile of puzzle pieces harbouring pieces from at least one other puzzle, too. But maybe he just thought this way because he'd only seen Jongin's smile from far away - things often looked vague from far away. Just like those flowers.  


 

* * *

 

 

 

Yifan may not look like it, but he liked to appreciate beautiful views. And rain pattering down while the sun was still shining brightly was certainly a sight. He had just returned from his last lecture and despite wearing his hooded jacket, he was quite drenched by the rain.   
  
He should go inside and get changed, but instead he stood on the porch, under the small roof and enjoyed the salty scent of rain lingering in the air. If anyone caught him being so sentimental, they'd probably laugh at him, but as of now, everyone was out. The sudden rain shower came to an equally sudden end, and Yifan ruffled his damp hair, watching the way the rain sparkled in the sun for just a bit longer when something caught his eye. Something... equally sparkly, and yet odd. With slow movements, he took the few steps necessary to walk over to Jongin's house. He didn't aim for the entrance, though, but the side of the house. A part of him dearly hoped he wouldn't be caught this time, but most of his attention lay on the certain shine emitted by the raindrops clinging to the house wall. It was hypnotic, and in a way like Jongin - beautiful, and not strange. Not until you looked a little closer. Because the rivulets of raindrops were shining way too brightly, blinking instead of glistening in the sunlight. Yifan tentatively reached out until his fingers grazed the coarse brick wall... until they slid over the smooth surface of what was certainly not water. It felt like glass. Polished, perfectly smooth glass.

How was this possible? It wasn't even ice as it was warm to the touch-

"Hello Yifan."

He whipped around, caught red-handed by Jongin, who looked even more gorgeous up close, and who was wearing a slightly hesitant smile. Yifan couldn't believe it had happened again. Jongin probably thought he was the biggest weirdo - but why would he worry about that when there was this glass on the wall?

"What is that on your wall?" Yifan asked, and a look of worry flashed over Jongin's expression, one that Yifan hardly noticed because he had already turned around to see nothing but half-dried rainwater tinting the bricks in slightly darker colors. Yifan was so confused. He'd seen it with his own eyes, had even touched it!

"What do you mean?" Jongin asked, all friendly and warm smiles. "It just rained, so it must be rainwater."

Yifan looked at him doubtfully, but the other was just smiling, looking a bit intimidated. It was hard to confront someone as gentle and as boyish-looking as Jongin. He just got the immediate urge to look trustworthy, to be allowed to hold and protect. It was distracting.

"If you say so..." he said slowly, a little reluctant to just let go of this, but then Jongin touched his upper arm. A touch light as a feather, and yet able to blow through his head like wind through autumn leaves, leaving them scattered all over the place.

"How about you come over one day? J-just for a chat, a cup of coffee, maybe? Luhan and Yixing told me a lot about you."

The minuscule stutter had gone by unnoticed, drowning in the smooth caramel of Jongin's voice, and before Yifan knew it, he had taken Jongin's offered hand to shake it.

"Sure."

 

 

* * *

 

 

'Sure' he'd said back then, too bedazzled and confused to make a rational decision, but looking back at it in a sober state, Yifan had to admit that he had no idea whether he wanted to make good of that promise or not. Was it even a promise? It was probably nothing but a phrase to friendly new neighbour Jongin, who invited everyone over.  
Even Zitao.

Fine, he hadn't technically invited Zitao over, but even his third roommate suddenly started talking about Jongin more and more - Jongin, whom he had apparently met in a flower shop nearby. A confectioner, but also not, who could rent an entire house, lingered around campus and worked part-time at a flower shop? Just who was this Kim Jongin?

Yifan wasn't inattentive, but neither was he nosy, and so he wisely kept the question of what Zitao had been doing at a flower shop to himself. They were close, but certain things were not to be pushed; and seeing his friend's bright smile was enough to assure him that things were going good for him, more than good, presumably.

"Jongin gifted me a flower back then," Zitao said one evening, unable to keep his secret any longer. Yifan's stomach dropped, but his expression didn't.

"He told me to give it to someone with a hair color resembling the petals' color," Zitao continued, and that was strange enough to get Yifan's whole attention. He seemed a bit fidgety, but there was also a giddy grin tugging at his kittenish lips.

"And the petals were rose- and cream-colored, all blended together. There was really just one person to give it to, and... I don't know why but I did it, and we started talking. It's really... nice so far."

"Are you two together?" Yifan asked bluntly, because tiptoeing around a topic was not one of his strengths. Zitao's eyes widened and he brushed him off with way too grand gestures.

"Don't be ridiculous, Fan. He barely knows me- I mean, we've just met. But he's- really nice."

Yifan hummed as he watched his squirmish, but happy friend, and couldn't help thinking about Jongin. This was getting stranger every day. Had he set Zitao up? That would be the logical explanation, but the whole flower story sounded almost magical. Yifan hesitated to even think this word, but it was true, especially in addition to the streams of glass he was so sure he'd seen.

But what was he supposed to say, with all his roommates (and only friends, really) being so helplessly charmed by their neighbour? Yifan felt almost cheated by his own mind, with him feeling so enchanted by Jongin as well. It wasn't like he wanted to expose Jongin in any way, but he'd rather not be part of whatever this game was - it seemed like he was somehow doing something to everyone around him, and Yifan didn't want to be just another conquest.

That was one of the main reasons why Yifan attempted to avoid his oh-so-perfect neighbour in his silly, oversized woolen sweaters, with his bronzed skin and warm orbs. He had offered to meet up for coffee, and Yifan had agreed, but it would be strange to walk up to him unprompted, anyway. That's what he told himself at least. Jongin was kind of dangerous, and Yifan lived under the motto "Live and let live".

 

* * *

 

 

 

He stared at the little note left by the delivery service.

Live and let live.

Why didn't they let him live? He'd been waiting for this parcel all day, had not listened to loud music and basically really just waited for the mailman to ring their bell. Apparently, the mailman hadn't bothered though, and instead decided to hand the package to his neighbour. A traitorous voice nagged him about this being too much of a coincidence. Was this Jongin's weird magic? Would he not give up until Yifan was as infatuated with him as his friends?

(Because maybe Yifan should tell him that he'd already surpassed them, in a way)

No, this was just ridiculous. The mailman was just unreliable and there was nothing strange about that. He'd just go and get his package with that book he needed, and he'd not stay over because he was terribly busy, and that was it.

He repeated the phrase he was planning to say at least five times in his head until he had reached Jongin's door. There were two cats and a rabbit (a _rabbit_ ) lounging around in his suspiciously gorgeous garden - when had Jongin ever done gardening? Yifan shook his head to rid himself of the messy thoughts and rang the doorbell before his doubts had time to grow again.

The sun was reflecting off the white front door in a blinding way, and Yifan kept his gaze lowered, to the simple doormat that felt oddly prickly, even through his shoes, when the door opened. Yifan's head whipped up to see a look of honest surprise on Jongin's face, maybe even something akin to shock?

"Yifan!" he greeted him a bit too loudly, an instant tension running up his shoulders as he froze in the doorway - as if he was hiding something from him? "I didn't expect to see you here to be honest."

"I- I didn't mean to disturb you, I was just gonna ask for a parcel," Yifan replied as calm as he could offer, and he wasn't sure whether he had the right to feel miffed about Jongin seemingly not wanting to see him. He could see the clogs turning in Jongin's head.

"Oh. The one for Luhan?"

Yifan shrugged.

"I just mooched off his credit card. You know how it is with online purchases."

Jongin nodded slowly, and for a moment, they just stared at each other, and of course he'd be intimidated by Yifan - everyone was, it was just what his looks did to people. Jongin had seemed oblivious to it before, but maybe he had changed his mind? Yifan quietly cleared his throat, feeling more awkward than ever.

"You, uh. Received it?"

Jongin blinked, and Yifan watched his eyelashes as he did so - he was scared of how far gone he was for someone he barely knew.

"Yes. Of course, come in," Jongin said, and with a slightly strained smile, he stepped aside to let Yifan in. When had Jongin started to feel uncomfortable around him? Yifan had kind of been the first to feel that way and he shouldn't complain now, but he still felt bad. Nonetheless, he smiled back and entered the homely house. He couldn't smell any of the supposedly sweet, chocolatey scent Luhan had mentioned - instead, the air smelled oddly salty.

Jongin sauntered off and quickly returned with the package in question.

"Here," he said in a friendly (but curt), manner, offering it to Yifan. Yifan took it, and maybe he'd been too distracted by the flimmer in the corner of his vision, because instead of the carton, he grabbed Jongin's hands, and then everything shifted. He heard Jongin gasp, saw his wide eyes and barely noticed the package slipping, when everything _changed_.  
  
There was yellow grass crawling up the wall to his right, a lake stretching out across the ceiling, stray drops of water lazily dripping down to hit Yifan's cheek. The ground beneath his feet was a mix of high grass and green vines raking across violet stone and then Jongin cupped his cheek - his wide, fearful brown orbs were the last thing Yifan saw before everything turned dark and he vaguely felt the ground hitting him. On the hazy canvas of his mind, he swore he'd seen specks of blue in the other's eyes.

  
 

* * *

 

 

Yifan awoke with a start. He'd never awoken like this, not even after particularly nasty nightmares, but now he was sitting upright without recalling how he got into this position. He was in his room, and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Golden sunlight was tinting his entire room in a soft glow, revealing that it must be around sundown. Why was his heart racing like this? When had he decided to take a nap? He'd probably missed his parcel-

A look to the side told him that the package was innocently lying on the floor next to his bed, still wrapped and sealed. Yifan sleepily took it and turned it in his hands. Had he received it and then decided to nap? In his regular clothes? No, that would be weird. Why couldn't he remember?

 

His eyes fell upon a little dent in the package and he was struck by the imagery of carton slipping, falling and hitting the ground. The ground had been... strange? He couldn't remember, but what he could remember were the sun-kissed fingers holding it, and right, he'd been over at Jongin's.

He wanted an explanation and he wanted it _now_. This was beginning to get really concerning and he had to know what was going on. He quickly stood up - a bit too quickly, as it turned out, but the dizziness didn't stop him from decisively marching down the stairs.

He ignored the calls of his roommates, asking about where he was going, ignored his orderly lined up shoes and walked out in just his socks. In a manner of seconds, he stood in front of Jongin's door. His hectic steps had scared off a squirrel that had rested in a bush in his garden. A _squirrel_. Yifan didn't even try to think of a logical explanation anymore. Instead of using the doorbell, he knocked, just to seek a tiny outlet for his adrenaline-driven body and mind. As he waited, he noticed that he'd taken the parcel along for some reason. He also noticed a daisy popping out between the cracks of asphalt - a daisy with unnaturally yellow petals.

When Jongin opened the door, Yifan was prepared - in a flash, he'd placed his foot in the doorway, hoping to prevent Jongin from slamming it close. The other flinched and looked tempted to do so - if Yifan interpreted the look of wariness right.

"Hello Yifan," he said in a rather shaky voice, a way too late smile flashing across his expression, "I didn't expect to see you here-"

"Don't gimme this nonsense," Yifan cut him off, ignoring the weird sense of deja-vu, "I've come here to get answers, and I won't go unless I get them."

Jongin looked to be on the verge of panic.

"I. I don't know what you're talking about-"

"You do, don't play dumb now. I won't go before you explain everything to me," Yifan said, admittedly a little heatedly, "The glass, the flowers, the zoo you're accumulating, and what you did to my friends-"

Jongin desperately shushed him and tugged at his arm.

"Let's take this inside at least, please," he asked, and Yifan complied, if just for the prospect of answers. He could clearly see reality flickering around him the moment Jongin touched his arm, but gave his best to appear unfazed. Jongin led him into his living room - which looked like a room taken right out of a picture book - and offered him a seat on his couch.

"You'll probably wanna sit down. It's what you guys do, I guess."

Yifan did sit down. Slowly, with a judgmental look trained on Jongin.

"And you don't?" he asked suspiciously. With a small sigh, Jongin moved over to sit beside him, at a considerable distance. Yifan looked at him in an expectant manner. _I'm waiting_ , his look said, and Jongin fidgeted.

"I'm sorry," he finally uttered. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I'm sorry for confusing you."

This was still a very generic statement, and it didn't do much to relieve his aforementioned confusion.

"Who are you, Jongin?" Yifan asked urgently, and the other pressed his eyes close like a kid getting pressured to tattle-tale. _Fine_ , Yifan thought. A different approach it was.

"What I saw was real, wasn't it? Something about this house is very weird."

Jongin didn't deny the statement, and he couldn't ignore the way his neighbours fingers were nervously tapping against the cushion on his couch. Yifan felt like an idiot, but it had to be said.

"Are you, like... a magician or something?"

At this, Jongin laughed, a short, nervous and breathy laugh. Yifan bit his lip, feeling embarrassed.

"Maybe... it's not that far-fetched for someone like you," Jongin finally said, with laughter still ghosting along his voice. Nothing had changed, and nothing was right, but the small smile had lifted a much heavier tension. Not completely, but just enough to give Yifan a bit of hope and comfort. It seemed to have helped Jongin, too, for the other looked him in the eye with an obviously determined expression, his voice soft, but sure.   
"I'm- I'm not exactly human. An alien, if you will."

Yifan stared at him. Despite expecting something like this, he hadn't _expected_ it.

"So…” he began slowly, “was this all about silently infiltrating this neighbourhood? Including the street cats?" Alright, maybe he was sounding a bit hysterical right now, but who could blame him? Jongin reached out in an attempt to comfort him, but thought better of it.

"No, that's not it," he quickly reassured him. "We have no ill intentions towards humans. We don't intend to harm you."

"We," Yifan blankly repeated, and Jongin whined childishly.

"I'm sorry, I'm terrible at this! Let me try again."

Yifan waited, because there was really not much else to do (except for maybe panicking, a sarcastic little voice in his head said), as Jongin gathered his thoughts. When he spoke up again, he sounded a bit more collected.

"We're here in an effort to understand humanity, and while doing so, we're training our assimilation skills. Meaning that we're adapting to humans. We're reflecting what it's inside their heart, and try to help them out like that."

Yifan must have looked every bit as confused as he felt, for Jongin continued in an equally patient tone.

"Your friend Luhan, for example - he's been on a strict diet for quite awhile, right?"

Yifan nodded.

"And he really yearned for the food he wasn't allowed to eat, so to him, I became a confectioner. Your other friend Yixing really wanted to meet new friends, and Zitao has been harbouring a crush on someone for a long time."

Was it really that easy?

"And you.. bent reality for that?" he asked, full of disbelief. Jongin hesitated, before settling for a shrug.

"It happens naturally to us, and I didn't excel in our science classes back then, so explaining it in human-friendly terms would be impossible-"

"And what about me?"

The question came unexpected for both of them, really, but Yifan didn't back down now that he'd voiced it out.

"Are you reflecting me, too?"

"Well," Jongin began, throwing a meaningful look around his living room. "I would say that right now, I am."

Was this the reason Jongin's interior - his entire house really - looked this quaint? This should have stemmed from Yifan's head?

"It feels like familiarity and coziness," Jongin added with a shy, careful smile. "Do you know this place?"

Yifan looked at the old-fashioned furniture made from dark wood, the flowery tablecloth, and then he understood.

"It's... my grandparent's place?" he asked more than stated. Jongin shrugged again, big eyes saying that if he said so, it must be true.

"But it's still different?" Yifan murmured, looking around the room. "It's not like an identical copy, sure, but it also feels different. The air tastes so salty? I'm not making any sense-"

"I know!" Jongin cut him off unexpectedly firm, crouching his upper body down as if he was bowing in apology. "I'm so sorry! It's all my fault. Just because I'm so clumsy..."

His voice trailed off in frustration and Yifan placed a cautious palm on his upper arm. The moment he touched him, his surroundings flickered as if static was crackling over them, and Yifan flinched away.

"I swear it doesn't happen all the time, I worked so hard to be here," Jongin defended himself to no one in particular, while Yifan was torn between looking at his self-proclaimed alien neighbour and his own palm.

"It's just. It only happens around you," he admitted, finally peeking up at him.

"Why?" Yifan asked, genuinely confused.

"Are you really gonna make me say it?" Jongin asked and he looked almost defiant now, with his cheeks being dusted pink and- _oh_.

With a groan, Jongin hugged his legs and hid his face again.

"This is a disaster. I couldn't even blur your memory correctly - why did this happen to me, I don't deserve such bad luck!"

Oh. Right. Humans were probably not supposed to know of a secret invasion of (currently) helpful aliens. Yifan was fully aware that he would need more time to fully grasp this, but for now he did what his brain usually did when he was completely overwhelmed - he tuned out the main problem and focused on the minor ones. Start solving the small issues to weaken the big ones, that was his motto. Or so his brain pretended, while his heart took over.

"I can keep a secret. I'm an expert on that. Or maybe I just don’t talk much to people in general."

Jongin warily looked at him, obviously still very distraught.

"So…” Yifan began, changing the topic in order to distract and maybe calm Jongin a bit, “the things I saw earlier were from your home planet?" Oddly enough, this seemed to fluster the other even more, but he pulled himself together.

"Yes," he said quietly. "I reflect what's inside your heart, and- there was apparently a bit of me inside there. It all got mixed up."

 _Oh_.

It was definitely Yifan's turn to feel embarrassed.

There he was, sitting on a couch with an alien who had a crush on him. Whom he had a crush on, too, as it seemed. It took a while for him to think of what he wanted, exactly, and finally he reached out a hand, silently asking for Jongin to take it.

"Is this okay?" Yifan asked.

Jongin looked at his fingers as if he really, really wanted to touch, but something held him back.

"I'll close my eyes, promise," Yifan said, and did just that, to demonstrate. Like this, he wouldn’t be able to see what exactly was inside his or Jongin’s heart, and whatever secrets the other was keeping from humanity would be safe.  
He waited patiently, until warm fingers touched the back of his hand, fingertips hesitantly running over his skin. What did the world around him look like right now? Frankly, Yifan didn't want to know. His senses were only distracting him from what he tried to focus on. The only thing he would have liked to know was what Jongin’s true appearance looked like. Was it close to looking human, or maybe something different entirely?   
  
He heard a vague rustle, smelled even more salt and felt something tickle his legs through the fabric. High grass, maybe? But he also felt Jongin holding his hand with a bit more confidence, his fingers being unusually warm against his. The heat crawled up his arms and made him feel dizzy, disoriented even, but he kept his eyes closed, just as he promised.

"I'm sorry," Jongin whispered, and he didn't sound all that far away anymore. "It’s our natural temperature. I'm trying to keep my cool."

Yifan huffed out a laugh at the involuntarily colloquial expression turned reality, and maybe he was feeling a bit too disconnected to reality himself, for he tugged at their hands to leave a lingering, soft kiss on Jongin's fingers.

He almost burnt himself that time.  
  
They'd have to work on that, in the future.

 

 


End file.
